FUE hair transplant vs Hair plugs

If you are wavering between a FUE hair transplant and hair plugs, this guide will lead you through definitions and differences so that you are aware of everything before you make a decision.

What is FUE hair transplant?

FUE hair transplant is a modern method of hair transplant. FUE, also known, as Follicular Unit Extraction is an advanced technology that works to give you the most natural looking hair transplant possible.

Small grafts of hair are taken from an appropriate area on the back of the head, which is called the donor area, and it is transplanted onto the problematic areas, which is known as the recipient area. The hair is then implanted in groups of 1 to 4 hairs, to replicate natural hair growth.

There are no gaps or visible changes in the donor area and the whole procedure is done with microsurgery which leaves no scars in general. The results mimic natural hair growth and show no obvious scaring, making it difficult to tell you’ve had a hair transplant.

What are hair plugs?

Hair plugs are an older type of procedure for a hair transplant. There are a few methods of doing a transplant with hair plugs depending on the type of graft used. For example, there is a strip, mini, micro, slit, and punch graft. They all differ on the shape and number of hair they consist of.

In general, the plugs method takes round grafts of hair and inserts it into the scalp. The number of sessions needed depends on the size of the problem. It comes down to how advanced the baldness is, how thick and what colour the hair is.

The grafts of hair used for the plug method can in some cases be quite large and lead to an unnatural looking head of hair. This is because the newly transplanted hair does not always mimic the natural growth of our hair and can begin to look quite obvious.

What is the difference between an FUE hair transplant and hair plugs?

The only similarity between the two is that they both transplant real hair that behaves exactly like natural non-transplanted hair.

However, hair plugs might need multiple sessions to complete a fuller look, whereas FUE is finished in just a couple of sessions. Moreover, hair plugs are not natural looking like the FUE transplants. Furthermore, the FUE restoration method is so fine that the difference with your natural hair will be unnoticeable. It is revolutionary in that it does not leave any scars and recovery time is shorter than that of plugs.

What are the advantages of FUE hair transplant over hair plugs?

The major disadvantage of hair plugs is that they look very unnatural as the plugs are big and round, and they leave gaps between the transplanted hairlines. Therefore, the FUE method is the best option for perfect natural results. The transplanted hair cannot be distinguished from the natural hair and this produces successful results.

An FUE hair transplant also has very little downtime compare to the plug method and patients can walk straight out of the clinic when the operation is over. Finally, hair plugs require excessive care and attention and they have a high risk of scars or bleeding compared to the FUE where risks and care are minimal.

Which one should I choose?

Hair plugs is an antiquated method that is rarely used if not at all nowadays. The FUE hair transplant is the usual recommended technique to follow according to doctors and clinicians who use advanced and superior technology.